Your orthodontic smile journey
Your treatment will follow a carefully structured Smile Journey that ensures you enjoy the highest levels of care at all times...
BOOK A FREE SMILE ASSESSMENT
One important note to highlight is that your orthodontic treatment is very much a partnership between us and you. We will ensure that you are given the best options for both what we can treat and how best to treat it.
However, once treatment begins, we need your help to ensure you maintain your oral hygiene routine; continuing to brush and floss your teeth while wearing braces is essential as plaque and bacteria can quickly build up if food gets caught in your braces. A good oral hygiene routine will help keep this at bay and ensure your teeth and gums stay healthy while we create that great new smile!
Here is a guide to what you can expect from your orthodontic treatment journey here at HRS Dental Care
This is an optional, FREE initial Smile Assessment with one of our Orthodontic Treatment Co-ordinators. They will ask you about your desired outcome, wishes and concerns and talk in general terms about the process, treatment and brace options. They can also provide typical costs and explain the payment choices including finance.
During this initial consultation, one of our Orthodontists will assess your suitability for treatment and highlight if there are any pre-conditions such as gum disease that may need addressing before we can help straighten your teeth.
At this full clinical consultation, we'll assess your teeth and jaws in detail, including typically an intra-oral 3D scan, a full set of visual records and an OPG X-ray.
From this, the Orthodontist will be able to discuss and explain treatment choices , brace and appliance options, costs and estimated treatment length.
This will be summarised into a bespoke Treatment Plan for you, including a quote for your preferred treatment and brace options as well as payment and finance options.
If your Clinical Assessment highlighted any pre-treatment conditions, these will need to be addressed before orthodontic treatment can start.
Typically these might be mild issues such as the need for a filling or to address gum health and your normal dentist can help with these. Sometimes it may be necessary to consider a tooth extraction or other more complex issues that might involve a specialist. If this is the case, you are in good hands as here at HRS Dental Care we have a full team all under one roof.
The next step in the treatment process is your fitting appointment. This is when we will fit your appliance to your teeth (sometimes called bonding up if it is a traditonal brace). If you’re wearing braces, the brackets will be fitted to the front surface of your teeth (or the back in the case of lingual braces).
If you’re having Invisalign treatment, the aligners are simply worn like a gumshield but will need changing every few weeks so we’ll give you few sets of to wear over the the first few weeks of your treatment journey.
Orthodontic treatment takes anywhere between a few months and two years or more, depending upon the complexity of your teeth straightening condition. Throughout your treatment, you’ll need to come in and see us regularly (typically every six to eight weeks so we can monitor your progress.
We want to ensure your teeth are moving in the direction they should and that things are moving as efficiently as possible.
If you're being treated with Invisalign aligners, we can set you up with a dental monitoring app which will reduce the number of check-up appointments you need to attend during treatment. Dental monitoring is a smartphone app that enables us to track the progress of your treatment via weekly photos you upload to your phone. It's a great system for helping your orthodontic treatment fit into your lifestyle!
This is a BIG day! Break out the flags and bunting and let's celebrate your fantastic new smile. For the team here this is always cause for celebration. Seeing our patients look in the mirror for the first time at their newly straightened teeth is always so rewarding. We'll take photos so you can share this special day with friends and family.
Lastly, we'll arrange for you to come back and have your Retainer fitted. This is important as it ensures your teeth movement doesn't go back to how it was and your new smile stays where it should!
Now your brace has been removed, you will be provided with comprehensive After Care information and instructions. We'll also give you a direct telephone number for the Orthodontic Care Team should have any urgent questions or queries.
However, this isn’t the end of how we care for you. You’re about to embark on the phase called retention. This is as important as the treatment itself as it is all about keeping your teeth in their new position. To ensure everything is going according to plan, we'll invite you back for check-ups at 3, 6 and 12 months after your brace is removed.
